I mean what is this world coming to when it decides that they are going to take the world-renown laptop brand name of “Thinkpad” and rename it into “Little Black”???
Is it just me or is this plain insanity? Why not call it something elegant of just leave it the way it is? How ridiculously corny does “Little Black” sound for a business machine?
I mean, that sounds like something you would name your male “smaller self” if your last name is “Black”. You would not go into a room of computer people and say “Hey, I have a little black”. HA! They would be like “oh ok…. a little black what?…. dick?…. hahahaha”.

Gosh, I hope IBM are planning to say something about it…. ridiculous!!

I have always had mixed feelings about the Apple’s Macintosh notebooks. On the one hand I loved the way their Operating System just seemed to work smooth and seamlessly – like the two, hardware and software, where made for each other. But then on the other hand I did not overly enjoy the thought of having a white “kitchen counter” to work at. In addition there is also the brainwashing by Microsoft which would like us to believe that computing is impossible without the “right-click”.

Well, the other day I got my hands on a Mac iBook G3. It was like a soft and sweet breeze of fresh air. Sure it is one of the older models, but it was still a very pleasant experience. I was totally taken aback by the ease of installing software – something about not having to click “NEXT” 5 times and then click “FINISH”. Instead, with a single “drag n’ drop” action all I had to do is wait for a few seconds till 100% was reached, and it was done!

When it comes to easy computing, the Mac is unrivaled. The machine boots quickly with a loaded Hard Drive and no defraging. Looking back at Windows after using this older Mac iBook is like looking back at a Hyundai after driving a Mercedes Benz –

Hyundai/Windows = premature releases + trying to copy other designs + flaws and issues all along the way (Built to need maintenance)
Mercedes Benz/Mac OS = mature releases + unique designs + no flaws, only normal use taking its toll (Built to last)

But, there is one thing that turn people away from Mac and into the arms of the Microsoft run PC… The MONEY!!!

Yes, Mac’s do cost heck and a half, and the PC is the cheapest way to go. However, like the old saying goes “You get what you pay for”. ‘Tis true that the Mac may not run some program that you “just love” and “can’t live without”, but maybe… just maybe, there is a piece of software that will run in Mac which will do even better!?

At the end of the day all I can say is that I felt useless using a Mac! Why?
Because there was nothing for me to fix or “get working”. I was cruising through the system on 5th gear.. and when I needed help the Mac built-in Help was actually …… helpful!

I wish they would make a Mac which was built with the features and likeness of an IBM Thinkpad, but with Mac OS! My dream machine!?

So I received this brand new machine and need to setup Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on it to replace Vista.
Ubuntu install was quick and painless. No hick-ups or let-downs at all.
I deleted the Vista partition and left the recovery partition alone. This I installed Ubuntu on the newly freed space, just leaving 1024 MB free for the Linux swap space.

After Ubuntu installed and booted up for the first time, there were exactly 100 updates to be downloaded and installed. Now to a Windows user that may seem to be a lot. However, you will be pleased to know that when Ubuntu updates, it actually updates all the programs on your system. Not only that, but the size of the updates are really very small in comparison to the updates delivered by Microsoft.

So, the updates completed, I restarted the machine.

Once booted up I began preparing other parts of the system for the interaction with Windows Networks and Windows PC’s.
After a few strings of commands in the terminal it was setup and I could communicate with it and to it using a Windows based network.

I will also note here that Wireless was instantly on and connected. All I had to do was type in the WEP keys, and away it went.

I tested out the integrated Card Reader and it worked perfectly as well.

Then I installed all the video and audio codec’s with a few more strings of commands in the terminal and tested the playback of a DVD, a few odd video files and some music. All up and up!

GnuPG (the equivalent of PGP Desktop) is already installed in Ubuntu by default, so I then had to install gpgp so that I can use the keys and keyring’s without using the terminal.
I also installed Thunderbird to use as the default Mail Client, and Enigmail for the integration of PGP keys into Thunderbird. So the mail was up and running.

Then came time to install MS Office 2003 in Ubuntu. I do this through Wine.
Initially it took me about 15 min to install it, and then about 3 hours to figure out why I was getting a certain error message. Well, now I know, and the entire setting up takes me about 20 min. So now I can have Office 2003 in Ubuntu.

Mind you, I like OpenOffice just fine, but there is just one thing that MS Office does better than OpenOffice, and that is Track Changes. Hardly anyone uses this feature, but for those who do it is imperative that it be as user-friendly as anything else. So, as I am setting up this machine for someone who happens to use that particular feature all the time in her work, I had to come up with a solution — hence Office 2003 was installed.

After this it was onto installing beryl and emerald for extreme desktop effects. Awesome!

Skype was next on the menu and the install was swift and easy.

All in all a very positive feeling about the whole thing. It’s nice to know that your are using a system which is safe and secure from virus attacks and other forms of cyber-vice.

I just thought I would start a blog for the purpose of telling the tale of day-to-day activities involving computers.

So on this lovely evening I am happy to announce that I have made a purchase!!! YEEEEHAA!

But, what did I buy?
I bought a new, sealed, never been opened…….. (drum roll)……….. Thinkpad!

Ok, so I know most of you will be saying “Duh, of course he bought one of those…. he ONLY buys and uses them”.
But I have in fact bought a Z61m Thinkpad. I got it from the US for $1050.00 (AUD) with postage (express) and full insurance.